Open, free and democratic China is of great importance for Asia

December 13th 2011

Prague, Czech Republic, 12 December 2011 - “A more
open, free and democratic China is of great importance for Asia and the
world as a whole”, said the Prague Declaration signed by the six
speakers of the Democracy and Human Rights in Asia: One Year after an
Empty Chair in Oslo yesterday.

“China needs human rights, democracy and the rule of law because
these values are the foundation of a free and dynamic society. They are
also the source of true unity and stability. It is clear and obvious
that many Chinese have been carrying on a life and death struggle for
democracy in China,” said the signatories.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama speaking to members of the media in Prague on December 12, 2011. Photo/Ondrej Besperát

The Declaration was signed by former President
Havel, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Former French Foreign Minister
Bernard Kouchner, Nobel Laureate Dr. Shirin Ebadi, Mr. Stéphane Hessel,
Co-drafter of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Dr. Jianli
Yang Dissident, of Initiatives for China based in Boston, USA.

They called for international efforts to promote
awareness and improve progress in human rights across the globe. The
Declaration affirms that all human beings have the right to freedom from
want and freedom from fear. These rights are indivisible and universal.

With this spirit they said, we have come together to mark the first
anniversary of the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Liu Xiaobo, who –
together with many other prisoners of conscience – remains imprisoned
by the Chinese authorities.

The declarations said expressions of concern, support and solidarity are
of immense importance in sustaining and strengthening the spirit and
hope of the people who are engaged in the struggle for human rights and
democracy even at the risk of imprisonment and endangering their own
lives. It is these people who represent the forces that ultimately will
achieve freedom, democracy and human rights.

During the meeting with the media today in Prague, His Holiness the
Dalai Lama said that it was his moral responsibility to promote human
rights and freedom.

His Holiness spoke about his first two commitments in life – inner value
and religious harmony. Speaking on religious harmony, he unity and
harmony amongst all religion was important. He called on the media to
play a greater role in promoting religious harmony and inner value.
People must get more information that would lead to greater awareness.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama speaking to members of the media in Prague on December 12, 2011. Photo/Ondrej Besperát

In
response to a question about dialogue between the Chinese and the
Tibetans, His Holiness said that the Chinese say that there is no
Tibetan issue but the issue of the Dalai Lama. However, he emphasized
that the issue is not about the Dalai Lama but the future of six million
Tibetans.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama said the Tibetan people in Tibet are our
boss. “We are their free spokesperson. They have no freedom to express
themselves so we have to act on their behalf,” he said.

Peoples’ Republic of China he said, belongs to the Chinese people. The
1.3 Billion people of China are the real rulers of China. They have
every right to know the reality and judge what is right and wrong.
Censorship of the media is wrong,

Recently, he said he received a letter from a Chinese individual who had
met a Tibetan on a pilgrimage in China. The Chinese individual had told
the Tibetan that the Dalai Lama was a good Buddhist but a splitist.

However, when the Tibetan explained the Tibetan issue, the Chinese
individual wrote that he fully supports the Middle Way Approach which
does not seek separation from China but calls for genuine autonomy for
the Tibetan people. The writer said that if all Chinese citizens knew
about the Middle Way Approach, 100 percent of the Chinese would support
the Dalai Lama.

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